1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to communication devices and, more particularly, to communication devices which enable a person to send out a communication during an emergency.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Communication devices known as call boxes are placed at predetermined locations in an area. The area in which the call boxes are located may be along a highway, in a city or town, in an industrial site, in a hospital, etc. A common form of communication link between a call box and a central receiving station is a hard wire link. However, a hard wire link is very expensive to install. The real estate in which the hard wire links are present, the material costs of the hard wires, and the installation costs add up to a very large overall cost. In this respect, it would be desirable if a call box system can be provided that does not employ hard wire communication links.
A form of communication link that does not employ hard wires is a radio link. In this respect, it would be desirable if a call box system can be provided which employs radio links. Portable radio transceivers are readily available in the marketplace. In this respect, it would be desirable if a call box system can be provided which employs readily available portable radio transceivers. Portable radio transceivers are battery powered. As a result, batteries must be periodically changed or recharged to assure proper operation of the portable radio transceivers. Yet, it is very labor intensive to have a person visit each call box site either to remove and replace or to recharge depleted batteries. It would be much more economical if each call box had its own dedicated battery recharging system. Just as it is desirable to avoid a hard wire communication link, it is also desirable to avoid a hard wire electrical grid for recharging batteries. In this respect, it would be desirable if a call box system can be provided with a dedicated solar-energy-based battery recharging system for each call box.
Conventional call boxes often have written instructions located inside the box once the box is opened up by a user. However, for users who have poor eyesight, or for dimly lit conditions, the reading and interpretation of written instructions may be very difficult if not impossible. To alleviate such problems, it would be desirable if a call box had audible instructions for guiding a user through use of the call box. For a call box that employs audible instructions, it would be desirable if the call box could be programmed in its audible instructions in any desirable way. For example, one call box may be programmed in one spoken language, and another call box may be programmed in another language.
There are persons in society at large who are not able to talk. There are other persons who are not able to use their hands. Yet, an emergency call box should be usable even by persons who are not able to talk and who are not able to use their hands.
When a hard wired call box system is used, a designated person or person may be on duty for answering call-box calls. Similarly, for a call box system which employs portable radio transceivers, a designated person or persons may be on duty for answering call-box calls. Yet if the designated person or persons are very busy, the caller at the call box may have to wait, and precious time may be lost in an emergency situation. In this respect, it would be desirable if a call box system can be provided in which each call box broadcasts an emergency signal that can be monitored by a large number of persons. For example, citizens band radio has an emergency channel that has a plurality of listeners at any given time. In this respect, it would be desirable if a call box system can be provided which generates a radio broadcast on an emergency radio channel that at any given time usually has a plurality of listeners.
Thus, while it is well known to use call box systems, a call box system has not been provided which has the following combination of desirable features: (1) does not employ hard wire communication links; (2) employs radio links; (3) employs readily available portable radio transceivers; (4) has a dedicated solar-energy-based battery recharging system for each call box, (5) has audible instructions for guiding a user on what to do to use a call box, (6) can be programmed to provide a wide variety of audible messages or instructions; (7) is usable by persons who are not able to talk and who are not able to use their hands; and (8) can generate an audible radio broadcast on an emergency radio channel that ordinarily has a plurality of listeners. The foregoing desired characteristics are provided by the unique call box apparatus of the present invention as will be made apparent from the following description thereof. Other advantages of the present invention over the prior art also will be rendered evident.